Meet The Founder
There were two things Bendere dreamed of when she was young: becoming an Olympian, and creating a foundation that would support kids who grew up like her.
Bendere Oboya is an Australian Olympian, mentor and mental-health advocate whose journey - on and off the track - has shaped her mission to empower young people. Through athletics, Bendere discovered more than speed and strength: she found confidence, purpose, community and healing.
Sport taught her structure, discipline, resilience and belonging. She learned firsthand how movement, teamwork and being seen can stabilise your mind when life feels heavy.
Growing up, Bendere didn't see athletes who looked like her on TV or in her community. As an Ethiopian born Australian, she didn't have many people to look up to in sport - no one she could point to and say, "She looks like me." That absence shaped her. It taught her resilience, identity, and the importance of representation. It sparked a fire: if she couldn't find someone to look up to, she would become that person. She wants young boys and girls to see her and see themselves, so they know the dreams they carry are possible. She didn't have that growing up, so she created the Oboya Foundation to be that for today's youth.
The Oboya Foundation was created from Bendere's belief that athletics is more than performance - it can be a pathway to healing, hope and connection. Through free training, mentorship and community programs, she offers the support she once needed: a space to grow, to belong and to thrive. Determined to support young people with care and professionalism, Bendere is currently studying Community Services and working toward becoming a Child Safety Officer - deepening her commitment to creating safe, empowering and trauma informed environments for youth.
"Breaking Limits, Building Futures" is our promise to every young person who steps into our space - that you are not defined by what you didn't have growing up. Here, your potential is bigger, your opportunities are wider and your dreams are welcome.
This message comes from my own journey. I grew up without pathways or programs, yet I still ran beyond what I ever imagined. It's a reminder that no barrier - cultural, financial, or social - can stop a young person who is supported, believed in and given a chance.
Here at Oboya Foundation, we give you that chance. Now, we pass that belief on to the next generation.